Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

إذا الحديث عن جمل طار أشهى إليهم من الحديث عن جمل سار،‏ ورؤيا مرئية عندهم آثر من رواية
مروية
For a story of a flying camel is more appealing to them than a story of a
walking camel. And a dream takes preference according to them over a
transmitted narration. 1
This influence would at times, however, take a negative route and would play
a crucial role in instigating turmoil and would thus lead to the intervention of
the Khalīfah and a subsequent band upon the story tellers. 2 Likewise at times it
would lead to the implantation of incorrect ideologies, wittingly or unwittingly,
especially when considering that most of them would not be seekers of the correct
and would not avoid mistakes due to their lack of knowledge and piety. 3 Rather
most of them would intentionally lie and narrate false narrations in their talks. 4
It for this reason that the scholars of ḥadīth commonly use certain expressions
which allude to this reality, like ‘this was forged by the story tellers’, and ‘the
story tellers added’, and ‘from the forgeries of some of the story tellers’, and
‘fabricated by some story tellers’, and from ‘the fables of the story tellers’, etc. 5
Some scholars actually authored books dedicated to the narrations and stories of
these people. 6
Their influence on the commonality specifically is more because of them being
people of primitive thinking. Hence they would accept everything which these
1 Al-Badʾ wa al-Tārīkh 1/4.
2 Al-ʿIbar fī Khabar man Ghabar 2/78, 3/68.
3 Ibn al-Jawzī: al-Quṣāṣ wa al-Mudhakkirīn p. 161; Ṣubḥ al-Aʿshā fī Ṣanāʿah al-Inshā 12/62.
4 Ṣubḥ al-Aʿshā fī Ṣanāʿah al-Inshā 12/62.
5 See, for example: al-Muntaẓam 9/96; Tārīkh Ibn Khaldūn 2/22; Ibn al-Jawzī: al-Mawḍūʿāt 1/208; al-Laʾālī
al-Maṣnūʿah 1/243; al-Qārī: al-Maṣnūʿ p. 267; al-Qārī: al-Asrār al-Marfūʿah p. 416; Kashf al-Khafāʾ 2/563;
al-Fawāʾid al-Majmūʿah p. 320.
6 Like: al-Quṣāṣ wa al-Mudhakkirīn of Ibn al-Jawzī, Aḥādīth al-Quṣāṣ of Ibn Taymiyah and Taḥdhīr al-
Khawāṣ of al-Suyūṭī.
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